The quotes from the film were quoted by the state-run Russian news agency Ria Novosti, according to which Putin says in it: “After all, what was the collapse of the Soviet Union? It was the collapse of historic Russia under the name ‘Soviet Union’.” Putin, who was a KGB agent, had previously expressed regret over the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and once even called it “the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century.”
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the people of Russia, which was the heart of the disintegrating power, had to deal with economic instability, and many of them sank into poverty during the transition from communism to capitalism. According to “Ria Novosti”, in the documentary Putin reveals that he too faced financial difficulties, and that from time to time found himself working as a taxi driver to increase his income: “Sometimes I had to make more money. That is, make more money in the car, as a private driver. To be honest – I do not like to talk about it, but, unfortunately, that was the situation. “
The British Guardian notes that in the early 1990s taxis were a rare sight in Russia, and that many Russians used to drive foreigners for a fee to make money and slightly improve their economic situation.
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